Chapter 5

5

F rom the castle, it was another four days by horse before we found ourselves approaching the outskirts of Mondue (AKA Vamp Village). The convenient road that connected Bremen to the castle did not, unfortunately, extend southward, which made the trip longer. But the forest was uncharacteristically tame lately, and the days passed in a series of conversations and occasional flirting. (I was fairly certain Calum had a thing for Tenebris, not that the boy seemed to notice. Idiot.)

“Holy...” Tenebris's jaw hinged when we neared the village, his eyes fixed on the sky above. Thick clouds covered the entirety of the southern forest with flashes of purple light twisting throughout the puffy mist—the base of the giants' castle. “How could I have forgotten how amazing this place was? Those clouds are freaking epic.”

“You should try living under them.” I shuddered. “We're talking twenty-four-seven coverage. I'll take my sunny hilltop any day.”

“It's perfect for vampires, though,” Calum pointed out. “Pure-blooded vamps have a terrible time in the sun.”

“True,” I admitted. “But these days almost all of them have at least a little mixed blood. The council encourages people to find mates outside the village for that sole purpose. Strengthening the bloodlines.”

Calum nodded. “Werewolves and vampires make particularly strong children. I made the mistake of coming down for the Winter Solstice Festival a few years back, and I swear the elders were practically throwing young women at my feet. It was crazy.”

“Sounds terrible,” Tenebris drawled, rolling his eyes. “How ever did you manage?”

“Believe it or not, I don't enjoy being fought over like some kind of prized stud,” Calum countered. “I'd rather take my time getting to know someone special.” His eyes lingered on Tenebris, making his cheeks pink. Adorable.

My grin slipped as we entered the village proper, the familiar buildings looking a bit worse for wear, with new ones filling the spaces in between. The villagers we passed all stopped what they were doing to stare when we rode by, their hushed whispers and curious looks following us down the road. I squirmed inside my signature red cloak, which might as well have been a sign proclaiming my name and status. From the way people's eyes widened upon seeing it, I had a feeling everyone in town would know I was here before long.

Best to get this over quickly.

“The head of the council lives at the end of this street.” I led the boys down a side road. Before long, a tall building with twisting spires came into view. It backed against the forest's edge with a thick sheet of fog rolling out to surround its foundation—a side effect of having your home so close to the forest's barrier. We dismounted and tied our horses to a wrought iron hitching post off to the side, taking a moment to pump fresh water into the provided trough before approaching the house itself.

I squared my shoulders as I faced the ornate double doors at the front. Bat-shaped knockers hung from the center of each door with golden rings dangling from their fanged mouths. Above the doors, the name Braun glinted in swirling, gold-leafed script.

“Gee, I wonder who lives here.” Tenebris smirked as he eyed the ostentatious door.

I swallowed a laugh as I smacked his arm. “The smart remarks stay out here. Get on Lawrence Braun's bad side, and he could make things a hell of a lot harder than they could be. I'd prefer to get through this without the added hassle. Got it?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Tenebris pretended to sew his lips together.

I gave Calum a hard look. “You too. I want you both on your best behavior.”

He quirked a brow. “Says the woman with more attitude than the entire pack combined.”

“I can rein it in when needed.” Sometimes. Hopefully now. I lifted my hand to the knocker, taking a deep breath before rapping it. The silence that followed settled like frost over my skin, making me shiver. It's going to be fine. An entire decade has passed since Jack left. No one is going to give you pitying looks or try to convince you he'll be back. It's over.

Footsteps on the other side of the door had me stiffening, despite my little pep talk. I wonder who it’ll be. His grandfather? Gods, I hoped not. He’d had trouble remembering who I was ten years ago. A productive conversation with him now would likely be impossible. Maybe it'll be his dad, and we can cut to the chase without involving anyone else. The knob turned, and I took a steadying breath as it swung inward.

It froze in my lungs.

That dark blond hair, those ruggedly handsome features… I was sixteen all over again, seeing a boy I knew my entire life for the very first time. “Jack?”

The boy—gods, he was just a boy, wasn't he? He couldn't have been more than eighteen—tilted his head, studying me. “Dark hair, curves for days… damn, Mariana. Aside from the length of your curls, I don't think you've changed a bit in all these years.” He held out his hand when I failed to make a coherent response. “It’s me, Sean. Jack's younger brother?”

“Oh my… Sean?” No. No way this handsome, young Jack replica was the scrawny little kid with his finger permanently stuck up his nose. “But you’re… you’re so… tall.” And not covered in boogers.

He shrugged. “A lot can happen in ten years. We missed you around here, Mari,” he added, not quite meeting my eyes.

A sliver of guilt wedged its way into my chest. I hadn't given much thought to Sean or any of the other members of Jack's family since leaving Mondue ten years ago. If Jack hadn't run off the day before our bonding ceremony, this boy would have become my family. My brother . The revelation left me stunned.

His cheeks pinked in the prolonged silence. “I'm, uh... sorry about Jack, by the way. I know it's a little late, but I didn't really get it at the time. All I could think about was how my brother left me behind. I didn't realize how much it must have hurt you, him leaving like that. I'm sorry.”

He was sorry? He'd been a little kid when Jack left, while I'd been a grown-ass adult. While he reeled from the abandonment of the brother he’d practically worshiped, I'd torn up the forest. My fledgling pack (which only consisted of Calum and Silas at the time) had gone wild, feeding off my raw pain and taking it out on everyone around us. We'd fought and fucked and fought some more. Anything to keep from feeling the pain of Jack's rejection. Meanwhile, Sean had been left to fend for himself. Abandoned by both his brother and his would-be sister.

I threw my arms around him, hugging him as tightly as my arms could manage, and after a moment of stiff surprise, he melted into my embrace, wrapping his own arms around me in return. “I'm sorry I left you behind,” I whispered into his chest.

He sniffed, his voice rough when he whispered back, “It's good to see you, Mari.”

I pulled away, holding him at arm's length while I beamed. “It's good to see you too. Even if you do look way too much like your asshole brother.”

He laughed. “It's a blessing and a curse.”

“I bet.”

Tenebris cleared his throat, brushing me to the side as he held out his hand. “Hello. I'm Tenebris. Mariana's charming and much younger friend.”

Sean laughed, flashing a mouthful of white teeth with just a hint of pointed fangs. “Nice to meet you, Tenebris.” He shook his hand. “I'm Sean. Mariana's almost-brother.”

Tenebris melted against my side, eyes sparkling. “Fangs, Mari,” he whispered. “He has fangs .”

I was saved from responding by Calum, who pushed his way between us with a low growl, thrusting his hand out with all the invitation of a rabid bear. “Name's Calum,” he grunted, the intensity of his grip making Sean wince. “We're here to see your father. Know where he is?”

I ground my heel on his toes, hissing, “Behave yourself.”

Sean gave him an uncomfortable smile as he stepped to the side. “Yeah, sure. He's upstairs reading to Granddad. Why don't you guys come into the living room, and I'll let him know you're here?”

“Thank you, Sean.” I shot Calum a look as we entered the house. The last thing I needed was a jealous werewolf on my hands. Coming here was awkward enough without the added drama.

Tenebris, however, clearly didn't mind, and he flashed his dimples while he floated inside, all but fluttering his lashes at Sean as he passed.

Sean shifted under his gaze. “Mariana, do you mind showing them where the living room is? I'll head up and let Dad know you're here.”

“Sure you don't want me to go while you entertain these two?” I teased.

He backed up, his face blanching as his gaze darted between Tenebris's simper and Calum's glower. “Nah, that's okay. I'll, uh, send him down.”

“Suit yourself.” I grinned while he turned and fled. Okay, so maybe I could handle a little drama. I'd forgotten how much fun Sean was to tease, even as a snot-nosed kid. My grin froze when I led the boys into the living room, however, the colorful paintings filling its walls making my heart stutter and skip. Rain-drenched walkways glimmering with multi-colored light as the sun broke through, a pack of wolf pups tussling in the grass. A young woman throwing her head back in laughter, a flurry of dark curls cascading over her red cloak. My chest tightened at the look of sheer joy radiating from her face, each delicate stroke a testament of the love bubbling up inside her. She was so, indescribably happy.

I'd forgotten more than I realized.